Are you missing out in compensation for delayed flights?

Have you had a flight that has been delayed by over three hours? Where you so relieved to finally get home, that you didn't chase it up?

Well, it seems that people have been missing out on billions in compensation for delayed flights, as airline companies defer payouts to passengers who have been held up.

This is according to Sky News, who learned that data is showing 3.27 million passengers travelling to and from UK airports each year might have a potential claim on their hands. And the amount of cash floating around is quite something.

After the European Commission introduced the compensation laws a decade ago, an average claim is around £320, which means, according to Sky's figures, that €1.4bn a year in compensation might be up for grabs for those who have had flights delayed by 3 or more hours. However, it seems that this has only just come to light thanks to landmark court rulings that have established a clear precedent.

Coby Benson, an aviation lawyer with Bott & Co, said: "The intention of the European Commission is that lawyers should never have been involved in this the first place. It was supposed to be a very easy system for passengers to gain compensation themselves when their flights are cancelled or delayed or they have been denied boarding."

"It's just unfortunate that the airlines more often than not make it extremely difficult for passengers to claim compensation and put obstacles in their way."

In a way similar to getting compensation for train journeys, if your flight isn't delayed by "extraordinary circumstances" like really bad weather, terrorism and acts of vandalism, you should be able to claim compensation. According to figures, around 1.5% of flights in-and-out of the UK are delayed for longer than three hours.

How To Get A Refund

There's an app to help you get a refund or compensation for delayed flights, which outlines your rights and whatnot. You can have a look at that by downloading it here. If you want to write a letter of complaint to an airline, then Which!!! have a template you can use.